Room 9 by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 9

Pulling up to the front entrance of the main building, the group disembarked, but was held in check by a few well-armed guards. After a few tense minutes, a well-dressed middle-aged man stepped out of the building and quickly approached the tour group.

“Good morning, everyone!” In spite of the earliness of the day, he seemed rather chipper. Perhaps, he had drunk a bit too much coffee or was instructed to use an entertaining approach, given the age of the group. “My name is Doctor Elijah Stewart, and I'll be showing you around this week.”

Certainly, there were things he could be doing that actually met his qualifications. Yet, it was obvious he had been drafted for the task of supervising five teenagers in a place where most things were highly classified, and off-limits to all except those involved.

Kate raised her hand. “Yes, miss, you have a question?” he asked.

“You used the word Doctor. What do you do here?”

Her question did not entirely surprise him. After all, these were highly gifted, intelligent teenagers and very prone to curiosity.

“Well,” he began. “I am the head of the department of astrophysical engineering.”

A confused look took over Kate's face as she continued with her questions. “What does that mean?” she asked. He paused for a moment to gather his words, trying not to say anything that would reveal something of a classified nature.

“Well,” he replied. “That's a good question.”

Kate already felt patronized, but tried not to express her frustration.

“Most of the things we work on are highly classified, but we focus our work on space travel.” Kate grew even more frustrated with only two words floating around in her head.

'No shit.'

The rest of the students were left in awe of their tour guide's transparent response, and did more than an exemplary job of containing their laughter. But as they entered the building, it was Kate’s mother who turned toward the driver and, making eye contact, winked at him and blew him a kiss. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Kate turned and quietly snapped at her. “Mom,” she began. “How about a little self-control? Jesus Christ.” As they made their way to the elevators, Kate’s mom made a weak attempt to deliver an excuse for her behavior.

“I’m sorry, hon,” she began. “But I think I’ve been single for way too long, and that driver, holy shit.” At hearing this, Kate’s frustration began to peak and, again, scolded her mother.

“Mom, will you just stop already? We’re not here for this.” Her mother suddenly felt the flush of embarrassment and would spend the remainder of their tour in a quiet, self-conscious state.

Before the tour could get underway, there was a necessary formality in the way of paperwork. While the teens were still standing in the corridor, a sheet of printed paper was passed out to each of the teens, as well as Elaine. “Okay,” Doctor Stewart began. “These are non-disclosure agreements. You will not proceed any further on this campus without signing this agreement. What this says is that when your tour is over, you will not tell anyone about anything you saw here. Some of our projects and military related, and disclosing any information pertaining to them could become a threat to national security. Do you understand?” The teens found the doctor's approach somewhat threatening, but they did understand the importance of secrecy where military research is concerned. The signed paperwork was handed back, and the tour was on its way as Doctor Stewart led the group down the corridor. Reaching the elevator, he pushed the button for the third floor as a few of the teens seemed to tremble in anticipation. They were looking forward to seeing some of tomorrow's technology.